Subject(s)
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/surgery , Neoplasms, Muscle Tissue/surgery , Sarcoma/surgery , Spinal Neoplasms/surgery , Thoracic Vertebrae/surgery , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Grading/methods , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/diagnostic imaging , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/radiotherapy , Neoplasms, Muscle Tissue/diagnostic imaging , Neoplasms, Muscle Tissue/radiotherapy , Sarcoma/diagnostic imaging , Sarcoma/radiotherapy , Spinal Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Spinal Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Thoracic Vertebrae/diagnostic imagingABSTRACT
Malignant cystic lesions in the spine are rare. In this report, we present a 65-year-old man who presented with imbalance on walking of 1-week duration with intact motor examination. Magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracic spine showed large expansile, T2-hyperintense mass involving T8 vertebral body, replacing the posterior elements causing cord compression with associated edema. He underwent uneventful T8 corpectomy, placement of expandable interbody cage, and T5-T11 posterolateral fusion using bilateral transpedicular approach. However, he died 5 months later due to progression of moderately differentiated metastatic lung cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing the near-complete replacement of vertebral body and posterior elements with a malignant cystic lesion.
